John Kerry calls for “review” of relations with Uganda after anti-gay law signed

Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday said Uganda faces a “review” of its relationship with the United States following Uganda President Yoweri Museveni’s signing of an “Anti-Homosexuality Bill.” The warning comes as the Obama administration has grown increasingly vocal in its criticism of foreign governments that discriminate against gays and lesbians.

The bill calls for life in prison for some same-sex acts and toughens other penalties for homosexuality, but does not call for the death penalty as original versions did.

Kerry called the bill signing “a tragic day for Uganda and for all who care about the cause of human rights” and said the United States is “deeply disappointed” that the bill was enacted despite the administration being “crystal clear that it blatantly violates human rights obligations that Uganda’s Human Rights Commission itself has recognized” in the four years since the bill was introduced.

“Today’s signing threatens a dangerous slide backward in Uganda’s commitment to protecting the human rights of its people and a serious threat to the LGBT community in Uganda,” Kerry said. “We are also deeply concerned about the law’s potential to set back public health efforts in Uganda, including those to address HIV/AIDS, which must be conducted in a non-discriminatory manner in order to be effective.”

In a clear threat, Kerry said the bill “complicates a valued relationship,” adding “we are beginning an internal review of our relationship with the Government of Uganda to ensure that all dimensions of our engagement, including assistance programs, uphold our anti-discrimination policies and principles and reflect our values.”

As comrade Kevin Fagan reported in his story on lesbian refugees from Camaroon living in San Francisco, 74 nations criminalize homosexuality, often with long prison terms. Iran and Yemen impose the death penalty.

The United States for years was silent in the face of overseas persecution of LGBT people, especially given its own criminalization of gays until the 2003 Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court decision overturning state sodomy laws, and the high courts overturning of the Defense of Marriage Act last year. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opened the issue with her “gay rights are human rights” speech in Geneva in 2011. President Obama’s own evolution on same-sex marriage took several years, but in recent weeks the Obama administration has sharply stepped up its rhetoric against discriminatory foreign governments and now appears to be taking concrete action.

President Obama had issued a warning to Museveni Feb. 16 not to sign the bill. On Feb. 19, Secretary of State John Kerry strongly condemned an anti-gay speech by Gambia president Yahye Jammeh. President Obama also named prominent gay and lesbian sports figures to the U.S. delegation to the Sochi Winter Olympics in protest of Russia’s anti-gay law.

The Human Rights Campaign, the largest U.S. LGBT lobby, last week called on the administration to withdraw its ambassadors to Uganda and Nigeria, which passed a law last month criminalizing homosexuality.